Bruce Brown claims 5th Judicial DA race

Related Media

Democrat Bruce Brown won a decisive victory in the race for 5th Judicial District Attorney. Brown received 54 percent of the total votes, while his opponent Republican Scott Turner garnered 46 percent overall according to early results.

All four counties - Clear Creek, Eagle, Lake and Summit - voted for Brown over Turner. Brown's margin was greatest in Lake County, 58 percent to Turner's 42 percent. In Summit, Brown took 53 percent of the vote, and Turner took 47 percent.

"I want to congratulate Scott Turner on a race that was very well run," Brown said. "And I want to express my gratitude to the people of Summit County for voting in large numbers and allowing me to become a leader in the district attorney office and provide the justice that the victims deserve."

A big part of Brown's campaign was focused on change. Turner was endorsed by current district attorney, Mark Hurlbert, also a Republican. Brown maintained that a change in leadership was necessary for improvements, and garnered the endorsements of 11 of the 12 county commissioners, all Democrats, in the district's four counties.

Brown is originally from California, and has been practicing law for 26 years. A private defense attorney, Brown has been involved in cases involving fraud, homicide, drugs and sex assaults. He moved to Colorado in 2002, and currently resides in Evergreen.

"It was a hard campaign," Brown said. "I made a big effort to listen to voters and I think I understood their concerns and I hope that I'll be able to craft an office that reflects the values within our community."

No stranger to campaigns, Brown ran for district attorney in 2004, losing to Hurlbert.

Brown has expressed his desire to incorporate more mentoring for younger and inexperienced attorneys, a move which he claims will aid in trial skills. He is also interested in pushing softer penalties for young, first-time offenders. Most important, he says, are victims' rights.

"My No. 1 priority is to make sure that victims' rights are respected and expanded," said Brown. "My primary emphasis within the office is to make sure that from the beginning of the case, victims are well-communicated with, to the end of the case, when they're heard."